CITES: A "Rookie" Perspective

Having referred to CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species) on many occasions in my work, it was fascinating to
observe, and, to a certain extent take part in, the
decision-making process for changes to the treaty.

One of the first things I realized was that, although most individuals from
NGOs find their initial instincts pointing them to
the Committee I meetings, in which species proposals are discussed, we
cannot ignore Committee II, which focuses on agenda
items such as procedural issues, enforcement matters, and the interpretation
of terms used in the treaty. Many of the changes
made in these committee meetings can also have dramatic implications.

To give one of many examples at this meeting, within “Document 17:
Incentives for the Implementation of the Convention,”
one of the proposed incentives was “certification,” meaning that the CITES
permitting system would become “a fully-recognized regulatory and branding-type certification scheme.” As well as being a huge
undertaking that would substantially drain CITES
financial and human resources, this would have alarming implications. By
initiating an accreditation scheme, CITES would
be actively endorsing commercial wildlife trade, which is inappropriate for
a treaty set up to regulate that trade. Many illegal
smuggling operations use legal trade as a cover, so the likely result would
be that CITES would at some point “accredit” an
individual or organization involved in illegal trafficking.

I was surprised that, though a number of parties did not support this
proposal, they argued against it on the basis that it was
not a priority, and the existing budgetary constraints and work volume of
the Secretariat made it inadvisable. Very few seemed
mindful of the wider implications. However, Israel’s pro-conservation
delegation was well aware and strongly opposed, saying
that “the Convention exists to regulate trade and not to certify commercial
wildlife traders,” at which I was tempted to shout
“Hear, hear!”

Despite the many frustrations of this treaty, which has now been dubbed by
some conservationists as the “Convention to
Increase Trade in Endangered Species,” we cannot give up and let the trade
lobbyists win; we have to keep fighting both at the
Conference itself, and also out there on the ground. It is easy to get tied
up in getting the legislation in place, while forgetting that
this activity is purely academic if it’s not properly enforced. Only by
tackling it on both fronts can we hope to halt the decimation
of the earth’s wildlife at human hands.

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